The proposed research is designed to describe and explain the relationship between American women's health and social roles. Specifically, it will test assumptions about health differences among women enacting four different kinds of role combinations: 1) married and employed; 2) married and unemployed; 3) unmarried and employed; and 4) unmarried and unemployed. The proposed analyses will serve empirical needs by documenting the nature and extent of health differences among these groups. Theoretical issues will also be addressed by evaluating untested and contradictory explanatory hypotheses proposed to account for presumed differences. The results also have implications for social policy. With an understanding of the health implications of certain roles, health needs of women can be better anticipated and critical needs of intervention identified. Secondary analysis of an existing dataset, the Health in Detroit Study, can be used to address these research questions. This will allow a cost-efficient and prompt response to the need for information about the relationship between social roles and health. The data source is uniquely suited to the analysis, including both a health interview and a 42-day panel of prospective health records. The comprehensive nature of the material will allow the development of multiple reliable operationalizations of the concepts. A wide range of analysis techniques will be implemented, ranging from descriptive analyses to multivariate analyses. Results of the analyses will inform social policy and provide a needed data-based foundation for the work of future researchers.